B. TERRESTRIAL PHYSICS AND METEOROLOGY. ^5 

 of Bengal, both at the beginning and end of the monsoon ; 



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and that the atmospheric pressure over the northern portion 

 of the bay was low during the greater part of the year. The 

 most memorable of these cyclones was that of the 28th of 

 June and the 1st of July. This is the only storm on record 

 that has been generated so close to land in the northwest 

 corner of the Bay of Bengal. To this and to the high resist- 

 ance offered bv the land to the motion of the wind is attribu- 

 ted the fact that the storm was so long in process of forma- 

 tion and so speedily broken up. The state of winds and 

 weather on the 25th of June is specially commented upon as 

 being very instructive in regard to the genesis of the cyclone. 

 There had been an area of relative low pressure for three 

 days in the north of the bay, and a strong gale blowing from 

 west-southwest in the middle of the bay to the southward; 

 but to the north of the low pressure, and over Bengal, the 

 wind was still light from southeast, and yet no cyclone was 

 formed. Over the depression, as well as to the south, the 

 rain was exceedingly heavy, but the winds were light from 

 the southwest, consequently there must have been an ascend- 

 ing current over the area of low barometer, which the heavy 

 rain-fall must have helped to increase. That no cyclone was 

 formed must be attributed to the proximity of the land to 

 the northward of the barometric depression. The case seems 

 to Mr. Blanford strongly confirmatory of views long held by 

 him on the formation of cyclones in the Bay of Bengal. 



From the report of the same gentleman, for part of 1873, 

 we learn that at six stations in Bengal the observers are also 

 in charge of local telegraph offices. They are provided with 

 full sets of instruments, and observe daily at four and ten 

 o'clock A.M. and P.M. At ten other stations native observers 

 are appointed under the direction of the civil surgeons. A 

 third class of stations report rain-fall only, and the total num- 

 ber of these at present is 139. The published daily weather 

 reports consist of a weather telegram from the first-class sta- 

 tions at ten A.M. and four P.M. Storm- warning signals were 



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exhibited on the 29th of June and 1st of July, during the ex- 

 istence of the severe cyclone. Since this storm occurred a 

 bad-weather signal has been added to the warning and storm 



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signals. It is to be exhibited whenever there appears to be 

 bad weather in the bav, whether there is reason to believe 



